The Asset
by jCOOLn
Summary: James Barnes, AKA Bucky, has been captured by the Red Skull, who was able to steal a vile of the Super Soldier Serum. He plans to transform Bucky into a Superior Man and then brain wash him into becoming his perfect assassin. The problem is they try to use the Tesseract in place of Vita Rays to activate the transformation. Long story short he is teleported to the GoT Universe.
1. The Second Super Soldier

**Title: The Asset**

 **Chapter One: The Second Super Soldier**

 **{Disclaimer: I don't own Captain America, nor do I own Game of Thrones, so don't sue me}**

 **XXX**

His brain was foggy. He just remembered falling before a hard impact made it feel like his soul was forced out of his body. He was sure he had died. There wasn't any pain like he had fallen down a seemingly endless canyon, but something just wasn't right.

When he came to for the first time he thought he had been sent to hell for some reason. This creatures was standing over him looking down on him wearing a Nazi uniform. What made him think he was in hell was because the thing's face was an angry red and in his eyes all he saw was evil.

He couldn't stay conscience for long and soon fell asleep. When he came to there the demonic Nazi still was but now there was a squat bespectacled man standing next to him. They were arguing about something though all Bucky could hear was the ringing in his ears.

He tried to move but something was restricting him. Having very little strength he was only able to glance down and see he was strapped to what looked to be an operating table. He noticed that his left arm was heavily bandaged and stained the color of red. He knew without even seeing under the bandages that it was mangled beyond recognition.

Looking away to try and distract himself from losing one of his arms he noticed that he wasn't in a hospital nor where there any medical machines or tools lying around. The only thing that could be medical in nature was the machine hooked up to his body through wires. It beeped ever once in a while indicating his heart beat so that was a good sign.

The room contained a large number of machines with various dials, buttons, and monitors on them. Their purpose he had no clue though he was sure that the massive machine behind him had something to do with it given they circled him and it.

Not sure what was going on but happy he was quickly passing out again, Bucky closed his eyes and let the darkness take him.

The third time he woke up he was still strapped to the operating table. There were several difference however to his circumstances than there were last time. Now he had no clothes on except for his underwear. There was a large piece of equipment behind him that looked like a gas chamber. Also the table strapping him down was on some kind of device that looked like it would pull him into the machine with the flip of a switch.

He wanted to fight and escape. His mind was active but no matter what he did his body just would not respond. He had two theories. The first was the fall did a lot more damage than he suspected. The other was they had in pumped up with drugs to prevent any escape attempt. Both were eligible theories given his current situation.

Both the Nazi from Hell and his mad scientist accomplice came back in. The red faced one was caring a black suitcase and the scientist was caring a silver container. When the ring leader popped open his case a blinding blue light illuminated the room in a blinding light.

What the device was he had no clue. He had never seen such a thing before. He watched as the demonic Nazi placed the device onto a machine. Instantly power rushed through the machine bringing it to life.

"I am sure you are wondering why you have been brought here, yes?" For the first time someone had spoken to him.

He was only able to nod his head as words failed him.

"Ah, yes the damage done to your neurological pathways was quite extensive. I commend you for not dying the moment you landed upon that massive rock. Though without me and my Hydra agents you would have died a few hours afterwards anyways."

He took several powerful strides towards the side of Bucky's restraining bed. "So in a sense you owe me for saving your life." He got a heated glare from Bucky for that comment. "Oh, don't look at me like that. I am not going to ask much of you. Just for you to act as my secret assassin for the simplistic goal of removing any and all threats to me and my plans for that future. That includes your good friend Captain America."

Bucky's eyes practically shot up into his hair line. There was no way he would do such a thing. In fact there was no way he could do anything. From the looks of things he was almost completely paralyzed and on a life support machine.

"Don't worry you will not suffer from knowing that you killed your own friends and became the greatest weapon for stopping the nation you once almost gave your life for." The Nazi grinned. "We have made many excellent strides in brainwashing theory and technology. Your body will be on autopilot while your body works tirelessly to accomplish its missions."

The scientist came over and handed him the small silver container. The Nazi opened it up and inside was a single vile filled with some sort of blue substance.

"But don't think of me as such a bad man. I may be taking away your free will, but I am going to transform you into a Superior Man." He took out the vile filled with the blue substance. "You see my agent was able to procure this right after your friend Steven Rogers was transformed into a Super Soldier."

Bucky's eyes widened. If what this demented being was saying was true then inside that vile was the substance used to turn his sick, frail, puny friend Steven into the massive, healthy, smart, strong man he was today. He hated himself for wanting it for himself. He hated himself even more for temporarily forgetting the price it would come with.

The Nazi ignored the glare and light shake of the head from his victim. "I can see that even though you spine is practically severed your brain is still able to function normally. I can also see that you know what this is and what it will do to you once I inject it into you."

He walked over to the scientist and handed it back to him. "Although I would prefer to learn how the formula works so that I can recreate it and give it to my soldiers time is of the essence and for me to win this war I will need a secret weapon to through the Allied Forces into disarray. You will be that weapon."

"Sir, the machine is ready." It was the first time he heard the little man's voice and it sounded just as he appeared. Weak, angry, and a bit frightened.

Bucky could understand where the scientist was coming from. He was the second in command after the Red Skull… that was a good name for the evil Nazi. He no doubt thought it was his right to become an enhanced Super Soldier, yet here his boss was giving it away to the enemy just to have an assassin waiting in the wings.

"Sir, remember this may not work." The Red Skull turned on the scientist who cowered quickly. "I just didn't have the time to reverse engineer the Vita Ray technology used to activate the formula within the subject's blood. This may not work at all or it could turn much worse."

"I am aware of the risks Doctor." The German accent was thick in the Red Skull. Whoever, or whatever, this thing once was he had a sneaking suspicion he was once human who underwent an experiment of his own. Only his didn't seem to go so well, unlike Roger's. "That is why we are using the energy of the Tesseract to try and circumvent our lack of resources."

The Red Skull walked over to the machine that was housing the glowing blue cube and gazed upon it almost fondly. "It has shown us a great many things. But even it alone will not win us this war. We are going to need much more if we are to succeed."

He moved away from the Tesseract and walked over to the row of machines where men in masks and white body suits were operating them. He moved one of them out of his way and started to tap something on it rapidly.

The Doctor walked up to him and took a syringe out of his jack it and poked it through the rubber stopper at the top of the vile. He drew the syringe back until it contained all of the blue liquid inside of it.

Bucky became distracted for a moment when he felt something else pierce his skin. To his right he saw one of the men in the white bag suits injecting him with something else.

"It is penicillin" spoke the Doctor, answering his unasked question. "It will help keep you alive." He stuck the real serum into his arm and injected the full contents into his vein. "One more thing. We were only able to secure one vile of the formula so it is going to take about six times as long to transform you as it did your friend. Hopefully you can take it, though here your damaged nerves may just be a god send."

The Doctor pulled the needle from his arm and walked off to join the rest of the audience. The Red Skull pushed a button and the table he was sitting on started to shake before retracting him into the machine. It eventually ended with him hanging up right by the straps on the table as his feet did not touch the ground.

 **XXX**

"Initiating transformation" spoke the Red Skull as he pushed another button. The lid to the massive machine closed and the tinting on the single glass window where the subject's face would be was so dark that you couldn't make out any features.

He knew that the brain washing procedure would be more difficult now that Bucky was going to be a Superior Man. He himself would have to take time from his own busy schedule in order to see it is done personally. He doubted any inferior man would be capable of breaking and then rewriting a Superior Man with the exception of another Superior Man.

He would have done the brain washing first but it was nearly impossible as the boy barely had the strength to stay awake for more than a few minutes at a time. The neural pathways and receptors at the base of his brain and spinal column had been damaged far beyond the capabilities of the era's medical abilities.

On top of that the damaged arm was starting to rot and disease was going to set in soon. If they amputated it then even the abilities of a Superior Man might not be enough to grow it back. On top of that he had to put into consideration how much he would be able to get out of just one vile instead of the six used to create Captain America.

The Doctor assured him that the results would be the same, but the risk of death would be higher, and the time it would take for the serum's effects to spread would be much longer. Still he was not sure and this was too big a risk to go on with theories alone.

The arm was left in its mangled condition though set back into place as best they could without accidentally ripping the fragile ligaments and tissue apart. If the Serum works than it would heal back perfectly for sure and he would have full function with it in a matter of days, possibly a week.

He was brought out of his musings as bright blue energy crackled from the Tesseract and ran down the wires connecting it to the Radiation Distribution Chamber. It looked like, and moved like, electricity but it wasn't. It was an energy unique to the Tesseract and produced effects that were still baffling them.

The screams that came from the chamber were of no surprise. Becoming a Superior Man was not something that was done lightly. It was earned through sweat, blood, and pain. He himself felt as it his entire face was being burned with fire and acid for day before the pain subsided. Yet he did not regret what he did. The results spoke for themselves.

The Doctor had been monitoring the patents' vital signs before he turned and spoke to him. "Sir, his heart rate is through the roof. If this continues he will go into cardiac arrest and die of a heart attack." The machine was making high pitched screeching sounds that granted on his nerves.

He ignored the doctor however. "The experiment continues. We cannot replace the serum we have used and the patient is worthless to us without its results. He lives and has his mind wiped or he dies and we move on with our other operations."

Doctor Zola seemed shocked for a bit but then went back to work. No doubt he was glad that he was not chosen to be enhanced anymore. For although he wished for the power of a Superior Man he was the cowardly type who would only reach when he was sure he was protected enough to get what he wanted.

"Brain wave activity has just spiked again." One of the Doctor's assistance spoke right before a fresh batch of screams broke out from within the chamber. "If this continues his mind will snap and he will be incapable of even feeding himself regardless of the formula's benefits."

Anger and impatience began to consume him. He pushed one of the assistance out of the way and grabbed hold of the dial that regulated the Tesseract's energy output. He quickly began to increase the energy to speed up the results. This was a make or break moment.

"Sir, what are you doing?" Doctor Zola tried to stop him but his hand was brushed aside. "The energy exposure has to be very precise or things will go horribly wrong!"

"If we wait out the required time his mind will snap and he will be useless to use. Either the transformation happens before his will is depleted or he will become an experiment to discover the serum's secrets."

Zola was persistent however. "Sir, you do not understand! The energies might kill the patient, yes, but it might kill us all too!" That got the Red Skulls attention. "When released in a catastrophic state such as this the energies coalesce. It acts as a drill in the very fabric of space. If we don't stop it now then we wont be able to!"

Just as Doctor Zola finished his speech the sound of metal twisting echoed across the room. Looking over to where the chamber was they saw a dent slowly being pulled towards the inside of the chamber.

The Red Skull instantly tried to pull back the power but the knob would not turn. He tried to apply more force but all he ended up doing was tearing the knob off of the machine it was attached to. Before he or anyone could say or do anything the electrical looking energies around the Tesseract started to crackle with power and jump off of it at random.

Some unlucky assistant was hit and instantly vaporized. He knew when to retreat and instantly grabbed the Doctor who was still of use and ran for the blast doors behind them. He sealed them as soon as he was safely inside. The closed blast doors prevented anyone from reaching safety as well.

The twisting of metal, the screams of the patient and now the assistants as they were vaporized by the Tesseract echoed through the entire base until a large boom of such force that the blast doors were wretched open went off inside.

The Red Skull instantly ran inside to check on his most important treasure without stopping to see if anyone was ok. He was proud when he found the Tesseract still perfectly intact with absolutely no damage being done to it.

"It seems that this experiment was just a huge waste of time." The Red Skull turned around to see what the Doctor was talking about and saw a massive crater where the Radiation Distribution Chamber used to be.

The charred remains of the chambered laid about the room smoking and melted. At the center where his assassin should be standing was noting by a twisted black wreckage.

"He must have been reduced to ashes as these men were" announced the Doctor as he lightly placed his foot in some dust that had clothes around it. "Although being at the epicenter of the Tesseract's energy probably reduced everything. Not even dust remains it would seem."

The Red Skull didn't have time to regret what had happened. He had a war to win, a world to conquer, and visions to see completed. He quickly gestured for the Doctor to follow him as they abandoned the ruined base for the next one.

 **XXX**

She just had to escape. It had gotten so bad that she could no longer stand it. The wolf blood made her like that but if she could choose to be like those prim and proper Southern ladies then she would still refuse. She wasn't a sheep to be led around by some man. She was a She-Wolf and she hunted and led as she chose.

She had bought some armor from a local in the Riverlands and snuck it onto the caravan her brothers were leading from the North. She knew that at least two of her brothers knew of the armor but they were supportive of her and said nothing about it.

She had always wanted to be a woman warrior. Though being born into a noble family prevented that. She had many freedoms from the drudgery of the plebeians but even a noble has expectation and responsibilities that they have to do.

For a woman it is knitting, dancing, manners, and other soft things that somehow became the definition of women. Men were expected to be great leaders, warriors, scholars, and rulers. While men did have more power their lives generally were more at risk than a woman's. Still it did not make up for the fact that there rarely was a choice in the matter of which you wished to be after your sex was thrown into the mix.

Sighing she realigned her shoulders and focused her attention on the grip of her sword. She was wearing armor that did not fit her, swinging a sword possibly two times to big for her size, and she had little to no real experience with a blade. Still she persisted as to reaffirm her belief that she was more than any southern lady ever could be.

She raised the blade up over her head and prepared to strike but before she swung she heard a groan nearby. Shocked at possibly being discovered caused her to lose her balance and fall. It was not a short nor graceful fall due to the armor she was wearing.

The armor shifted the center of her balance every time she tried to aligned herself upright. This made her look like a drunk trying to walk upright. Eventually she came crashing down onto a bush.

She landed on something oddly shaped and quite hard. That was not so unexpected given the terrain of the Riverlands but the groan that followed it was. Rolling over and adjusting the helmet she saw that she had landed on a person.

She tried to stand upright to protect herself against a would be attacker or check on him if he was ok. The problem was the armor was much to heavy for her and prevented her from any nimble movements. She cursed herself once more for not having the gall to admit she wanted the armor for herself and getting it fitted.

The person under her shifted and easily removed her and the armor she was wearing from his person. This shocked her as it appeared he was just stretching his arms to brush some annoyance from his presence.

She watched as a large, muscular man with jet black hair and a pale skin completion rose from the ground. She was thankful for the helmet concealing her face as it was probably scarlet. She had never seen a man naked before so this was the first time.

To say he was naked would not be entirely true. He had some scraps of what was once clothing hanging from his right wrist, left ankle, and from around his neck. The colors were a dark, almost black, blue and some red. What happened to them to put them in such a state was anyone's guess.

She was snapped out of her musings as two powerful hands grasped her by either side of her shoulders and lifted her to her feet without effort. She felt so small and frail in those powerful hands. It was like they could rips the steel plate mail from her body without issue.

"What is this? A Renaissance Fair of some sorts?" His voice was strong and made her feel like they echoed and shook her body. It took her a moment to reply.

"I do not know what a Renaissance Fair is, but if you speak of the Tourney at Harrenhal then this is the location. If you look over there you should be able to see the Tower of Dread hanging over Castle Harrenhal."

The strange man did look off into the distance. He made no effort to hide his shock and even took a step back like he had seen a ghost. He looked over at her and reached out. She grasped her sword ready to defend herself if she had to.

He tapped her armor a few times but that was it. "That's not some cheep knock off made in China. That's the real deal. Hand made even… Why do you wear such a thing?"

She was confused and a little insulted. He was making fun of her because she was a woman wearing armor. He must have been one of those assholes who looked down on women.

"I am training to be a great knight!" A huge lie. "I have received training my whole life so that I can make a name for myself and bring honor to my family and all women who wish to rise about the expectations society has placed upon them." Another lie. That one stung a bit because it was noble and she wasn't actually doing it which made her feel sort of bad.

"What I meant was why do you wear armor in the twentieth century. I know the Medieval Period has been highly romanticized but it seems silly to dedicate your life to something that has already passed."

Twentieth century? She had no clue what he was talking about. "The year is two eighty one AC, my good ser, and I would kindly ask you not to judge what is a waste in my life and what is not!"

"AC? Don't you mean AD?" Again he was talking nonsense to her.

"No! I mean AC. You know, After Conquest? The year that Aegon Targaryen conquered Westeros and unified it into one nation? You know, the largest kingdom in the world? Westeros? Doesn't any of this mean anything to you?"

The strange man continued to gaze at her in confusion. Had it not been for the fact that he was naked and she was having a hard time not looking at his manhood when she was not angry with him she would have been able to think a bit clearer.

She found a reprieve from the large item swinging in the air connected to the stranger. She looked up, directly into his eyes, and was amazed by what she saw. His eyes were the brightest, most beautiful shade of blue. She even believed that they were not natural. As if some magical object had infused its powers into his eyes somehow.

They continued to argue back and forth about time, places, references, and just about anything else they could think of. Neither of them were able to understand where the other was coming from. Eventually night started to fall and they began to grow hungry.

While annoyed with him she was not heartless enough to just leave him out in the forest with no money, food, clothes, or practically anything that was not growing from his body somehow. She practically told him to stay like a dog while she ran off to steal some clothes from her brother Brandon.

 **XXX**

Bucky was more confused than he had ever been in his entire life. After the pain of the experiment the Red Skull put him through there was only darkness. He was sure this time he had died due to that madman running some kind of electricity through his body for what seemed an eternity.

Instead some woman wearing armor starts to tell him the names of countries, timelines, and other things that he had never heard before. He feared that this was some kind of trick by the Red Skull but couldn't see a point as to why he would do this. Bucky was aware of how brainwashing worked and it didn't involve allowing someone to run free.

Still, even with the prospects of free food and clothes sitting around in a dark forest butt ass naked was still awkward. While he had no issue with his body, especially after becoming a Super Soldier like his friend had, to him he was wasn't sure if he was in enemy territory or not, so it put him kind of on edge.

The breaking of a twig in the distance caused the space/time traveler to pop into action. He grabbed a large stick that had been broken off from one of the local trees in a storm and held it over his head.

Unexpected features were the first to greet him as a feminine man walked into the clearing from the brush. He had hair a silvery gold color and eyes like lilac. His features were oddly strong despite his overall feminine features though that may have been the black plate mail he was wearing.

The stranger stopped in his tracks and his eyes went wide upon seeing the naked stranger in the clearing. They both eyed one another, not knowing what to say, until Bucky broke the ice.

"Hey, this ain't a free show, so avert your eyes you pervert!" Bucky really only said that to get a laugh out of the guy but he seemed frozen as if someone had never spoken to him like that before. Given the way things were going Bucky doubted he ever had.

"Oh, I am sorry for intruding upon… whatever it is you are doing kind Ser" spoke the man, whose voice was just like his features; soft yet strong. "I did not mean to disturb you. I was just taking a moonlit walk through the forest to clear my head. It is quite the beautiful full moon, is it not?"

Bucky would have made a comment on how he wasn't doing anything weird and that why he was naked was more an act of chance than anything else, but then he paused.

There was a nearly undetectable pause in this man's speech. It was right when he claimed to be walking through the forest to clear his head. Bucky looked up into the sky and noticed that while nearly full it was still not a complete full moon.

This guy had lied. He didn't know why he had but a niggling feeling at the back of his head told him that this guy was up to something. What that was honestly was none of Bucky's business and he hoped not to get involved with it. He just wanted to go home after all.

"Yea, well, I guess I understand. I don't exactly make it a habit of walking around in the nude." That got the silver haired guy to grin a bit. "That girl from earlier probably thought I was an exhibitionist or something."

There was the gleam in the silver haired man's purple eyes when he mentioned the girl from earlier. Perhaps this was why he was taking a walk to 'clear his mind' all alone through a forest.

"Girl? What girl?" His tone had changed a bit from how it was previously.

"I don't know, some girl who wants to be a man I guess" replied Bucky with a shrug of the shoulders. Not getting involved was probably for the best. "She was wearing plate mail and swinging a sword about as big as she was. Didn't catch her name, but she was nice all the same."

The silver haired man nodded. "Oh, I see." He paused as if to collect his thoughts. "I am guessing she left then?"

"Yea, she said she would send someone to bring me some of her older brother's clothes and some food though. If you want to leave her a message I am sure that whoever that person is they will take it for you." Again he lied, though only slightly this time.

With a smile he shook his head. "No, I have never met her though I have seen her from afar." He brushed the cloak he was wearing which was red with a black three headed dragon sigil at the center of it. "It is better to meet someone in person after all."

With that the silver haired man started to walk away. He paused right as he came to the tree line and looked back at Bucky. "Oh, I am sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"It's James Barnes, though everyone just calls me Bucky, and your's?" You didn't see someone with silver hair every day. Well Bucky didn't at least.

"Rhaegar Targaryen" replied Rhaegar with a friendly smile. "But everyone just calls me Prince Rhaegar." Though he didn't show it Bucky was surprised.

"Just so you know the Tourney is going to be unlike any other." Bucky watched the prince trying to figure out what he was getting at. "You should compete. A guy with muscles like yours could really make a name for himself. Maybe even become lord of a keep one day."

With that the silver haired prince left Bucky to his thoughts. While he wanted to keep a low key he still had to eat which was hard when you are broke. He would need a source of income and if this competition was as profitable as the prince said then it would no doubt give him time to look for a way home.

Twenty minutes later the tomboy girl showed back up with some leather breaches and some silk shirts. The dimensions of the close were not exactly precise but they were close enough and he was no longer nude, both good things in his book.

 **XXX**

He tried to ignore all of the stares he was getting from around the camp fire as he ate his meal. He was so hungry that he was wolfing down his portions with enough gusto to draw in the attention of everyone around him.

He only stopped when a strong hand smack him in the back and made him cough. He turned around to see a handsome face grinning at him with a wolfish grin. He had shoulder length black hair, pale skin, and the same grey eyes that Lyanna had.

"So you're the one my sister went rummaging through my things for." His tone was kind but it held an undertone of merriment. This guy knew how to have fun. "I thought a storm had gone through my room when I came back from my talks."

"More like your wenches" came a voice from across the flames. All of the men shouted joyously and laughed heartedly.

The older brother didn't blush a bit and his wolf like grin spread even further if at all possible. He laughed a bit before turning back on the new guy, aka Bucky.

"So, you being naked out in the forest must be a pretty good story. I am sure we would all love to hear it." A round of 'here, here's' reverberated around the fire.

Thinking quickly on his feet Bucky came up with a story on the fly. "Well… I was a cage fighter of some renown as I had never lost a fight and some of the other guys weren't so happy about that." The men around the fire were now giving him their undivided attention. "They cornered me out in the woods and attacked me all at once."

"They attacked you in the dark in a group? Bloody craven cowards!" Shouts of agreement followed the oldest Stark child's comment.

Bucky nodded his head and continued his story. "I was able to fend them off, but several of them tried to grapple me and only ended up ripping my clothes. So when they ran off I was stark naked."

The men all laughed heartedly at his previous predicament. None laughed harder than Brandon Stark who was more than a few sips into his flagon of wine.

"I went searching for my belonging but they were all gone. I wandered for a while after that before falling asleep in the forest." The men continued to laugh. "Which is where your sister found me after she fell on top of my nude form."

All of the laughter intensified except for Brandon's who gave him a devilish look. He continued to tell the story though he omitted a few things. He didn't mention Rhaegar nor did he mention the fact that Lyanna was wearing plate mail. They didn't seem to be a topic one would share with common company.

After many drinks of wine and good stories Brandon drew the attention of the crowed back to Bucky. "So my newest of good friends" he said though slurred. "What are your intentions for the future? Going back to brawling are we?"

Shaking his head no only got complaints from the audience. "Oh why not!" Brandon grinned. "It sounds so exciting. So much better than the lack of action we receive up North."

"Not enough money in it" answered Bucky shortly. "It is a bit on the shady side as well. Never know if your going to get paid or killed after your fights."

Brandon finished off the rest of his wine and stood up though he wobbled a bit. "Tell you what my friend" he began as he whipped his mouth. "You beat me in a game of the fists and ill teach you to wield a sword." He turned towards the surrounding men. "As we all know, in this world a man with a sword can do anything!" There was a very loud roar of approval from the men.

Thinking about it he thought back to what the silver prince had said. If he knew how to use a sword then his newfound physical capabilities would surely give him an edge over the competition. He needed money that is for sure and he couldn't continue to mooch off the Stark's unusual kindness towards him, a stranger.

"Alright, you have a bet!" Again the men shouted before they stood up and started to make a circle so that they could brawl.

 **XXX**

Lyanna had been forced to speak with her father about the stranger that she had brought with her from the forest. He went on and on about her reputation which would be damaged if word got around that she had been alone in a forest with a naked man.

Honestly she had half a mind to spread the rumor herself. Robert didn't seem to have any issue with sleeping around as much as possible before, and probably even after, they were married. If he could do it, siring bastards and such, they when not her? She understood the double standards far too well but that didn't mean she had to like them.

Eventually she had left her father to go back to the camp. All she had to do was follow the loudest noises and they would no doubt bring her to her family's camp. The Southerners called them barbaric but she just felt they knew how to have a good time.

She wasn't prepared to stumble across fight night though. All of her family, their retainers, and even random people had created a circle of bodies surrounding something going on in the center. Looking around she saw her other two brothers, Eddard and Benjen, standing by looking onwards toward the entertainment.

She signaled them and Eddard left his spot to help his sister though the pushing and shoving of drunk and over excited men. Once they were back in their spot she saw what was so entertaining.

Her eldest brother, Brandon, was standing in his leather breaches, fist raised and wrapped in some sort of bandages, as he gave a serious look to his opponent. She had honestly never seen her brother with a look such as that. Usually he was laughing, joking, or flirting, but now it was serious for some reason.

She wasn't surprised by his opponent. She had a feeling Bucky would be just like her and Brandon. Wild as can be and the type of person to mix things up. It seems he had no problem mingling in with her family and their friends.

He stood across from her brother with his fist raised as well. Just like Brandon he was wearing Brandon's leather breaches and had wrappings around his fists. His look was serious as well, but there was also a calculating gleam to his eyes. What that gleam meant though she didn't know.

They were circling one another but only Brandon had any bruises or welts on his body. It seems that Bucky's reputation as an undefeated brawler was not without its merits. She was excited to see them fight.

In the blink of an eye they both engaged one another again. Brandon lashed out with violent punches towards Bucky's face. Bucky swiveled his head so that Brandon's punches either missed or casually brushed against him.

Lyanna's brother made a crucial mistake when he got in to close to deliver a right hook to Bucky's temples. Bucky swiftly ducked under the right hook and took the opportunity to deliver a swift upper cut to Brandon's chin.

Lyanna thought that Bucky had missed at first. When her brother didn't move after a moment she became worried. He went to throw a punch but then fell to the ground. He tried to stand back up but his legs just wouldn't support him.

"What happened" asked Lyanna as she looked to her brothers. They were both as confused as she was. That was when she heard Bucky start to talk.

"I got you in the sweet spot." Bucky was standing over Brandon like a fighting god. "If the chin is hit just right it sends shockwaves through your body. It makes it impossible for the brain to tell the legs how to work right." Lyanna became afraid her brother would never walk again. "Don't worry, it will go away in a few minutes though." She let out a sigh of relief.

The men cheered for the supposed raining champion as he reached down and lifted her brother up like he was a feather and threw his arm over his shoulder for support. She watched as her brother and Bucky talked, joked, and were congratulated for such a good fight by all those around them.

"Father is not going to like this" spoke up the stick in the mud. "He is already upset enough with your involvement with him and now people are going to take more of an interest after this event."

"Oh lighten up Ned" came the pup of the litter. "It was a great fight and he is a strong warrior. Surely father cannot be upset once he hears of this stranger's skill."

Eddard didn't say anything, he just turned around and left. Benjen and Lyanna ignored him as they went over to talk with Brandon and Bucky.

"Alright, alright, I admit it, you're the king" spoke Brandon as if it was killing him to say. Bucky just grinned like a Cheshire Cat.

"And?"

"And a deals a deal. In the morning I will teach you how to swing a sword." Brandon reached a hand to his forehead. "Oh, Old Gods give me strength. I am going to have the mother of all hangovers tomorrow, aren't I?"

"Probably" was all Bucky said about that.

Lyanna ignored that part as her brother having a hangover was nothing new to her. "Wait, so your going to be learning to wield a sword? Does that mean you will be competing in the Tourney in a week?"

Bucky turned to her for the first time. He gave her a kind smile which made he feel happy and nodded his head. She was ecstatic! "Oh, I cannot wait to see you compete!"

"Yea, lets see if those brawling skills transfer over to any swordsmanship skills" spoke up Brandon. "Then we will be seeing who is king around here!"

They drank, they partied, and they had a great time. The best part was they did it for no other reason than they could.


	2. The Princess

**Title: The Asset**

 **Chapter Two: The Princess**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Captain America, nor do I own Game of Thrones, so don't sue me**

 **-I am a free writer, and I write when I feel like it, I am not on a schedule, so therefore updates will be infrequent.**

 **-If I lose interest in this story I might just stop writing all together, though in the future I may find interest in it again and then take up updating it then.**

 **-There will be lemons, profane language, character/death, prostitution, possibly torture or abuse, lying, and probably other sins. If this bothers you then don't read. You have been warned.**

 **-The main character may participate in polygamy/bigamy, extramarital relations, and other acts of sexuality, though no homosexuality, so if this bothers you then don't read.**

 **XXX**

Elia rode in the royal carriage protected by her countrymen. Her brother thought that men from Dorne would be more willing to lay down their lives to protect their princess than men from the Crownlands. She didn't know if that were true or not but they did provide better conversation than the King's men. There was also that cultural background they had to fall back on should the conversation become bland.

It didn't take long to get to Harrenhal from King's landing. There was even a road that led up alongside the God's Eye River that connected King's Landing and Harrenhal. Sometimes she wished that they had taken a ship as it would have been more comfortable. The trip might have been shorter as well.

The bumps in the road did nothing for the Princess' daughter Rhaenys Targaryen. Her baby girl barely a year old kept being woken up by pot holes in the road. More than once during the journey her daughter had to cry herself to sleep. Although none said it she knew that her guards were struggling with putting up with a crying child for hours on end.

She could only sigh in relief as they saw the Tower Dread peak up over the horizon indicating they were getting close. Her daughter who had woken up recently was still suckling at her tit. Her little girl who looked so much like her was an angel when she was feeding.

She loved her daughter with all of her heart. While her marriage to the Crown Prince was a political one it was still a happy enough one. She doubted she would ever come to love Rhaegar but she could respect him. They were friends and this was their duty. This was also why paramour were considered ok in Dorne as political marriages were for the country but paramours were for the heart.

She could do without ever being in the King's presence however. That maddened gleam in his purple eyes always sent chills down her spine. The dark rumors that surrounded the Red Keep about the king's newest hobby of burning everyone who he perceived as a traitor alive did not help either. It did not matter if they were nobles or small folk, rich or poor, if he thought you were an enemy then you wouldn't be for long.

She was also angry with him on a personal note. Not only had he insulted her, her homeland, but also her daughter all in one breath. He refused to hold his own granddaughter because she 'smelled dornish.' Her daughter did not stink! Well when she needed to be changed she did but that is beside the point. And on top of that her family had been one of the strongest supporters of the Targaryens since they entered the fold. They deserved a little respect.

Her mental ramblings were cut short however as a pain filled cry came from beside her. Soon the whistling sound of arrows cutting through air filled her ears before the thudding sounds of them hitting something came next. Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest when small metal points pierced the side of her carriage about eye level.

"Bandits"

"Protect the carriage!"

"It is the Brotherhood, Ser. We have to- **Ahggh**!"

Elia moved towards the window and gasped in horror at the sight before her. Twenty of so brigands were attacking her escort while archers from the tree lines picked off whoever they could. They killed everyone they could get to. Her guards had been caught off guard so quickly that half of them fell in the first few moments of the attack.

Off to the side one of the men the Daynes had sent crossed swords with one of the bandits. He was doing well and was about to end the fight with a quick slash across his enemy's chest before a arrow pierced him in his leg. He shouted out in pain. His blade's trajectory was sent off course resulting in him slashing the reins to the horses that pulled her carriage.

The horses were frightened and their handler had already been killed. When one of the reins holding them to the carriage were cut it startled them. They rushed forward pulling the cart behind them though due to the cut rein the cart leaned heavily to one side. Elia was sent back into her seat with a protective hand over her infant daughter's body while the horses rushed forward uncontrollably.

 **XXX**

Bucky ducked under a blade that had been aimed at his neck before thrusting forwards with his own blade. His opponent, Ser Brandon Stark, parried the attack before pressing in aggressively. Their blades flashed out again with the speed of lighting and met in between their bodies. The clanging sound filled the training yard as they readied for the next strike. Their blades locked in between them for a moment before they broke away and continued to try and hack the other into pieces.

Eventually Brandon tried to run him through with his blade but Bucky was prepared for this. Dodging only enough for the blade to graze his chain mail Bucky locked his arm onto the blade to prevent Brandon from pulling it free. Before Brandon could really put any force into freeing his blade Bucky's fist collided with his unguarded face. The punch was strong enough to lift Brandon up off his face before he fell back to the ground with a thud.

There was clapping all around them which broke them out of the trance they had been in. Their battle had been so intense that they had focused solely on the other. This left them incapable of seeing that they had drawn a crowd. Their duel had been quite intense and those who watched it nodded their heads in respect.

Brandon got up off the ground and stood back up. He was rubbing his jaw where the dark markings of a bruise were starting to form already. He spit on the ground though it was more blood than spit.

"You hit like a angry whore" spoke Brandon as he messaged his jaw. "Never seen a move like that." He looked over at Bucky and grinned. "Only the craziest of bastards would let someone strike that close to them just for the chance to counter them."

"I had no other choice" commented Bucky as he slid his borrowed sword back into it's sheath. "No matter how many times I battered your blade aside you never gave me a chance to really attack you. I had to do something you weren't expecting to win."

Brandon threw an arm around Bucky's shoulders. "I can't believe this!" His gruff voice echoed so everyone could hear him. "Three days of training and you have already bested me when crossing blades. Had I not seen how awkward you looked holding a sword for the first time I would say you lied about your lack of training. That being said, I can confidently say I am placing some serious gold on you to win in the melee!"

It was true. When Bucky had held a sword for the first time he looked like he was stepping up to bat. His posture had been all wrong, the way he gripped the blade, and his defense has been virtually none existent. In the first five minutes Bucky had been left black and blue while Brandon stood over him laughing. It was ironic though because Brandon was black and blue as well due to the fists he had received to the face some nights previously.

"Well then you might want to put some gold on me winning the archery contest as well." He decided to explain when Brandon gave him that strange look. "Your sister has been insistent she teach me something. The horseback ridding was fun and all but she about had my head when I said archery just isn't my thing. She has been teaching me to shoot an arrow about as long as you have been teaching me to swing this lump of steel around." He indicated towards the training sword resting loosely in his hand.

"Oh really? Well I have to admit your quite the lucky one then. While our father never let her learn to use a sword a bow was another story. She is without a doubt one of the best with a bow I have ever seen." Brandon looked around before looking up at the sun. "That reminds me we are supposed to be meeting with Lord Whent for the sign up. The high lords were invited to wine and dine with the Whents but it seems my sister is nowhere to be seen. You know where she ran off to?"

Bucky nodded his head. "Yea, she said something about renting a boat and going to the God's Eyes. It is supposed to be like a holy place for those who follow the Old Gods of the Forest correct? I guess she wanted to pay her respects." Looking out towards the massive lake that Harrenhal sat upon he could make out the island in the distance where the Heart Trees were supposed to be. "She wanted me to come but I do not follow the same god as you of the North or these people of the South. I figured it was a adventure she should take on her own."

"I see." Brandon gazed out towards the God's Eye. "Well she is going to be late for out meeting. After the incident with her bringing a naked man from the forest to our camp our father is not very pleased with her. If she misses this meeting he will no doubt shout her ears off." He looked over at Bucky. "You think you can find her and bring her back before sun down?"

"Yea, I will go get her. Just let me get out of this armor first and into some leather britches and I will be on my way." They clasped hands and gave the other a man hug before parting ways.

Bucky took a horse the Starks had lent him down to the docks where Lyanna would have paid for a ride across the God's Eye Lake. When he got there though the man overseeing everything said that the ship they had been using was taking on water so there was no pilgrimages to the God's Eye. When he asked the man claimed that a girl matching Lyanna's description had rode her horse out towards the nearby forest.

The dock worker informed him of some old trails that the small folk used to navigate through the woods to get to Harrentown to peddle their wares. If she left there was a good chance she took one of these trails. Thanking the man and giving him a few silvers for his trouble Bucky steered his horse towards the wood and followed the hove impressions that Lyanna's horse had left behind.

 **XXX**

The young She Wolf had always enjoyed nature. It was the freedom away from social expectations that appealed to her so much. Nobody was hear telling her what to do, what she wore didn't matter to no one, and her manners were not a necessity. The only thing that mattered was basic survival skills and a good horse to tote you around. She luckily possessed both.

When the man at the dock told her that he could not take her to the God's Eyes she contemplated swimming. She shot that idea down however as her father may just disown her for doing something so stupid around so many other important lords and ladies. The Northmen already didn't have a great reputation and were sometimes regarded as savages. She didn't need to encourage this stereotype.

So in the end she had decided to take her horse for a little stroll through the forest that laid on the eastern edge of Harrentown. She had nothing to do so why not? It was all so relaxing until she started to hear hysterical screaming. When that happened she ducked low why still on her horse and led it off the beaten path.

She could not see what it was that was making that sound so she urged her horse onwards. What she saw scared her greatly. There was a carriage with a broken wheel laying on its side at the edge of the main road. The two horses that had been pulling the carriage were dead. Arrows littered the backs and sides of the horses. The carriage must have come to hard stop as splinters of wood were everywhere while the wheel that had not been broken was lazily spinning on its axel.

'What happened here' she wondered as she dismounted her horse and ran to the carriage. She climbed up the side and opened the door to look in. She saw a dark skinned woman clutching a baby laying on her side passed out. "Miss! Miss! Are you all right my lady?" Her words seemed to rouse the possibly injured woman from her sleep.

Elia slowly awoke from what she assumed had been a horrible dream. It had to be a result of lack of sleep, bumpy travel, and her unusually difficult time giving birth. When she noticed that the carriage was on its side a problem she knew she was in. Slowly she lifted her sluggish body up and looked around. The sharp metal tips from arrows were still in the sides of the carriage. She could also see through a hole in the front of the carriage that the horses were dead.

Her eyes widened marginally and she looked down at the bundle in her arms. Frantically she started to open them up only to sigh in relief. Her baby was sleeping peacefully even after that hellish event.

"Lady are you okay?"

Elia looked up startled to see a lovely young woman looking down on her with concern. "Yes, I am fine. Are you with the soldiers at Harrenhal?"

"No my Lady. I saw your carriage flipped and came to see if anyone was inside." Lyanna looked around. "What happened here?"

Elia froze up. If this girl was here all on her own and the soldiers were not with her then that meant that the bandits who attacked them were probably still near by. She quickly tried to stand but her legs were too weak to support her for long. She fell back down on her bottom but quickly looked up.

"You have to take my child and flee from here. Go to Harrenhal and report this to the guards. Tell them to send as many soldiers as possible as quickly as can be!" Elia was already lifting up her daughter Rhaenys before she was even done speaking.

Lyanna quickly grasped the small child in her arms, but did not run off to report this incident immediately. "Lady what are you talking about? What is going on?"

"We don't have time" shouted Elia as she sat on her side. "Bandits are nearby and they will no doubt be back after they finish looting my guard's bodies. We don't have time for this chatter. Report this so they don't get away!"

"Ahh, now why would you go and do that? Haven't you been enjoying our company Princess?"

The almost childish voice sent a cold chill up both Lyanna and Elia's spines. When Lyanna looked back she gulped loudly. Standing behind her were twenty men armed to the teeth with swords, axes, longbows, crossbows, spears, and just about every other weapon you could think of. The man in the middle though was by far the scariest.

He wore all black armor and had a old sword in one hand and a shield in the other. There was no symbols on his armor to designate his affiliation but that crazed smile stretched out across his face was enough to identify him. The Smiling Knight, the leader of the Brotherhood. They were a bandit group that had been terrorizing the Crownlands, Riverlands, and the Stormlands for quite some time.

They were known for attacking in one of the lands and then fleeing into another to prevent soldiers from pursuing them. Since lords could not send their soldiers into the lands of other lords it was the perfect shield to prevent capture. Only the king's men had that kind of authority but he was content to ignore them it seemed.

"Look here boys" announced the Smiling Knight. "A princess and future queen plus a lady from one of the great noble houses. Seems we will be eating well for a long time to come." The bandits all began to chuckle menacingly.

Before he could continue Lyanna cut across him. "You won't get away with this." The Smiling Knight looked at her curiously. "The king and my father will send armies to get us back. There is no way you will survive such a combined force even if you do run and hide!"

The Smiling Knight's maniacal grin spread even further showing black and yellow teeth that made the two lady's stomach flip in disgust.

"That may be true" he began. "But the first thing they will find is the mutilated bodies of their dearly beloved princess and lady." He started to take a few steps towards them. "You see girlies we don't fear death. This life has been hell for us so there's no way death could be any worse. The Stranger will come and takes up to that final resting place but in the mean time were going to enjoy ourselves."

Fast as a whip Lyanna pulled out her bow and notched an arrow which she pointed straight at the Laughing Knight. "Do not move or I'll pierce that black heart of yours!" The Laughing Knight did stop but not out of fear. No, instead he stopped in order to laugh. His laugh was just as spine chilling as his smile had been. "I am not playing! Leave now or I will kill you!"

The Laughing Knight's head tilted sideways almost as if he were curious. "Then do it girly." There was silence. "Have you ever killed someone before?" Again there was silence. "I didn't think so. You see when you kill a person it is much different than killing an animal." He took a few steps closer to Lyanna. "You can see that light leave their eyes. And only if you are lucky and kill them in an instant are you spared the horrifying sounds of their streams of agony as the Strange comes to pluck their souls from their bodies."

Lyanna's hands began to shake. The arrow which she had previously notched twitched back and for preventing her from lining up a clean shot. Her heart rate had increased to a point it sounded like drums beating in her ears. Her mouth was dry yet no matter how much she licked her lips the fluids would not come back. Even her mind had turned on her showing her gruesome images each worse than the last.

"I must admit you are quite skilled in psychological warfare."

Everyone turned around and for once Elia and Lyanna were happy for the new arrival. Standing there was none other than Bucky whose sword was already drawn. His face was calm but to her shock Lyanna could see blood splattered across his armor, his hands, and his sword. Whose blood it was she did not know but she prayed that it was not his own.

"But then again it is not quite that difficult the rattle the minds of young women who have never seen a true battle before." He took a step forward striding into the mitts of the Brotherhood. "Though I find any man who needs to outnumber two innocent women by such a degree a disgrace to begin with. Surely you did not need twenty one men just to take possession of two girls."

The Brotherhood did not take well to being insulted. Three of their members attack Bucky but were cut down in a flash. His movements were so quick that only the flashes of sunlight from the blade's reflective surface could be seen. One moment there had been four men standing there but now it was only Bucky who stood in the center of three newly dead bodies.

The sight of seeing a man killed was enough to send Lyanna in a hacking spell. She emptied the contents of her stomach right alongside Elia who had faired no better than she had. Even if their deaths had been quick she still been disturbed by the Laughing Knight's words.

"You have my apologies" spoke Bucky as he continued his way towards the Smiling Knight. "I am not so skilled with a sword that I can kill cleanly yet. Your men hiding in the tree line could protest to that."

Everyone looked towards the tree line to ascertain where the stranger had been telling the truth. It was basic strategy to hide archers in the woods nearby so that they would have cover in case attacked and somewhere to attack from in an ambush. When none came out they knew the stranger had been telling the truth.

"I would have been able to do a much cleaner job had I the benefit of a knife. Still, I was at least able to kill them silently." His face had remained hard and cold as he gazed at the Laughing Knight the whole time. "I find archers to be so difficult to deal with especially when you are their only target and there is more than one of them."

The Laughing Knight kept to his namesake. He laughed a maddened high pitched laugh as he threw his head back. Ragged rows of blackened teeth were visible to everyone. His gaunt face was pulled back and crinkled by his stretching skin giving him a truly monstrous look. The black armor he wore seemed to laugh along with him as the loose pieces of the old armor clanked together along with the mad man's laughing.

When he finally finished he drew his sword and aimed it at Bucky. "I would have the name of the man whose heart I will soon tear out and feed to the hounds!"

Bucky mirrored his action by pointing his sword at the Laughing Knight. "James Barnes, but I hardly see how it matters anymore. In a few moments you will be dead."

Nothing else was said as the Brotherhood followed their commander in their attempt to kill the stranger. For all of their ferocity, for all of their numbers, for all of their fearlessness they were still no match for Bucky. It had been the first time he had truly let loose since being transformed by the SS-Formula. The results spoke for themselves as he hacked and slashed men to pieces.

From the sidelines Lyanna had thought to assist Bucky. She had notched her bow but she still could not loose it. The Laughing Knight's words still echoed in her head freezing her in place. She hated that she could not bring herself to do it as her friend may very well be killed but for all her will power her body just would not respond.

It became apparent however that Bucky did not need her help. While surrounded by a larger number of people none of them were trained warriors such as the Laughing Knight. They were small folk who had resorted to banditry for one reason or another. They had the numbers but not the skill or equipment. Bucky on the other hand seemed to by a one man killing machine.

She watched amazed in morbid fascination as he killed one man after another. He always seemed to move out of his enemy's way just in the nick of time to prevent being harmed yet his blade moved with such flawless precision that he had not missed a single target. Without the plate armor of a knight the bandits were all but defenseless against Bucky's sword. Soon the ground had been painted red with their blood with only Bucky and the Laughing Knight remaining.

Bucky stood his ground with his sword still in hand. His body covered did in the blood of over a dozen men yet all he did was continue to glare. A normal man would be in fear of such a display of skill and power. A mad man would simply grin in glee believing that by killing such a man he would become untouchable. The Laughing Knight simply enjoyed the show and laughed darkly as his turn came around.

No words were exchanged. There was no need for them. The clashing of their blades was all the conversation between two men trying to kill one another that was needed.

Bucky ducked and dodged every strike sent his way unless parrying it allowed him a better counter. The Laughing Knight continued to take strikes yet none of them were fatal. A combination of great skill and plate armor was enough to keep Bucky from hacking him to pieces in an instant.

They disengaged for a moment to eye the other. The Laughing Knight's breathing had gotten heavier yet Bucky's had remained the same even pace. When they went back this time however the fight was ended in a flash. Bucky taking hold of his sword swung with all his might. The Laughing Knight had brought his blade up to defend but he lacked the strength or fortitude to stop a Super Soldier. The blade was brushed aside like a leaf in the wind as Bucky's sword cleaved him in two.

The Laughing Knight died with a grin on his face.

"James!" Bucky turned around only to see the teary eyed vision of Lyanna crashing into his chest. He didn't fall. She wasn't that strong and his adrenalin was still pumping from the fight. He was just happy he had not worn plate or else she might of hurt herself.

She looked ragged and worn out all at once. The leather breeches she had chosen to wear were scuffed up in some areas. She had dirt on her face. Her hair was a right mess with the women who would have to brush it out having a heart attack if they could see it now. Her face held a look of great stress on it as well. All in all even though she wasn't actually harmed the stress had taken its toll on her.

"Shhhh" he whispered as he held her close to him. "Everything is going to be ok, I promise." He ran his fingers through her hair. "I will bring you back to your family, you will get to take a hot shower, eat a good meal, before going to sleep in a warm bed. Everything is going to be ok."

"James I was so scared!" Her voice was quivering as she clung to his leather clothing. "I thought I was going to die! I thought they would torture us before taking such liberties." She paused to take a quivering breath. "I saw his eyes. They were so evil. It was madness, pure madness!"

"It is ok." He tried to assure her. "He is dead. They cannot hurt you anymore." He pulled her closer to envelop her as if to protect her from the world. "The Old Gods have protected their own. They wouldn't let their Great She-Wolf's story end at the hands of such low lives."

She popped her head out from his embrace to look at him. Her steel grey eyes that held just the slighted tint of a frosty blue gazed up at him. Her eyes were big, puffy, and read from the crying yet the tears seemed to have dried up. "Promise?"

"Of course" replied Bucky. "I will always be there to protect you." That seemed to cheer her up. "Look, your friend is probably still scared as well." She cast a quick glance towards the carriage. "We should probably go and check in on her. We should also get out of these wood incase others come. Best not to tempt fate." She nodded her head quickly before making her way towards the carriage. She had held onto his hand oddly enough.

 **XXX**

Elia had clutched her baby close to her abdomen during the entire encounter. Her daughter had woken up crying at the top of her lungs yet she could do nothing for her. How could you comfort a baby to stop them from crying when you could not do the same for yourself? So in the end she had just ducked down in the carriage sending up a prayer to the Seven for protection. She ignored the cries of pain as the brigands were killed one by one.

Even when the sounds of battle died down she did not feel relieved. She knew that one man was not enough to hold off nearly two dozen men. When the fighting had stopped she was all but sure that their rescuer was dead and the bandits would then come for them. Worse, they would have their blood boiling from the battle thus their handlings would be multiple times worse.

"Miss, are you ok?"

She looked up unable to comprehend what she was seeing. Her savior, the lone knight who had stood before the bandits to save her and her own was looking down from the carriage door with concerned eyes. Her tears of fear soon turned to those of joy as she felt relief flood through her body. Words could not describe her elation.

She snapped out of her stopper quickly. "Yes, I am fine" she called back. She lifted her daughter who had calmed down a bit, though she was still whimpering lightly, and handed her off to Lyanna. "Please, we need to get out of here." Once her daughter was secure her rescuer reached down with a large muscular arm swooping her out of the wrecked carriage that had seemed more like a prison in the last hour.

It was a deft motion that lifted her out of the carriage and into the side of her rescuer. Up close she could see he was rather handsome with thick brown hair, lightly tanned skin, and in possession of the bluest eyes she had ever seen before. Her hands which she had instinctively used to steady herself against her rescuer could not help but caress the rock hard muscles that seemed to make up his entire body.

"Thank you." It came out a whisper as her own brown eyes looked up into his blue ones. They were so close together it was difficult to tell where one ended and the other began. If she wished she could just lean in and…

"Princess?" She snapped out of her daze to look towards Lyanna who was holding out her daughter to her. "I think she misses you." Elia nodded her head deftly as she reached out and pulled her little girl back to her chest. The little whimpers she was letting out died down as she fell back into a more comfortable sleep.

"I will escort the three of you to Harrenhal" announced Bucky as he walked back into the forest to retrieve his and Lyanna's horses. "After that I will come back with some help to look for survivors. We should move quickly as every moment could be someone's last."

To her own surprise the man actually lifted her up as if she weighed as much as a stick on the side of the road. Admittedly she barely weighed barely six and a half stones, but she was holding her daughter still. His strong grip however did not equal an uncomfortable grasp as his fingers were delicate when grasping her sides.

Lyanna looked over towards her. "Princess do you know how to ride a horse?"

She nodded her head slowly taking her eyes off of Bucky. "I know how to ride a Sand Steed, but it has been many years since I have done so." She gave the northern horse a weary glance. "Though I have never ridden a horse not of Dorne."

To her surprise Bucky mounted her horse sitting behind her. He grasped the reins in one hand while stabilizing her and her daughter with his other. "I hope you do not mind." He gave her a kind smile. "I shall steer the horse to Harrenhal for you. I know it may be uncomfortable but I ask that you bare with it. We need to move quickly." All she could do is nod her head softly while leaning back into his muscular chest.

They rode quickly to the castle. It was not a long way so they were able to push the horses harder than they normally could have. A crowd quickly gathered when they entered the castle grounds but Bucky did not stay. He told Lyanna to gather a search party while he went back to look for survivors. He took her horse as some may need immediate medical treatment. It surprised her how much he wished to return to save her countrymen over preening over the services he provided to such a influential woman.

It was a nice change. She could see he had the makings of a True Knight. Like Ser Arthur Dayne, she was sure his name would be known far and wide.


End file.
